Friday, July 11, 2008

Marie Mance Vallee's family has lived in Quebec for centuries, but she's petitioning the French government for a dual-citizenship passport.

Vallee originally requested duel [sic] citizenship in 2006, but was turned down because rules then stipulated her family must have resided in France in the last 50 years.

However, a new law says anyone can claim French citizenship as long as they can prove that they have ancestors who were born in France, explained Christian Neron, a Quebec City lawyer.

Neron provided Vallee with a legal argument to back up her request for citizenship. He believes Vallee is the first old-stock Quebecer to request French citizenship because of her colonial links. [Link]

My maternal grandfather was French Canadian, so I guess I'll be blogging next summer from Saint-Tropez.